James Earls II

 So, I’ve been a gamer since the early 80’s and have owned many systems. Lately, I bought a Nintendo Switch OLED. I had the cheaper Nintendo Switch a couple of years ago and didn’t like it, but recently I played my niece’s OLED Switch and enjoyed it. I like portable gaming better than TV gaming because I can take it with me around the house and outside. I also like the docking ability when I want a bigger screen, and while I play docked, it will be charged and ready to go. Nintendo really did a great job with the OLED model. We’ll see if they release a newer Switch in the coming years.  Right now, they are still releasing new games, so I think we’re good for now.

 So, it's been a few years since I've blogged about anything, and a lot has happened in this time frame.  I now use the MacBook Air with M1 chip and my favorite IDE is VS Code. I'm currently an HTML Email Developer who loves gaming and photography when I have time. I plan to start blogging again soon, so stay tuned.

Yes, I’m still an avid iPad user. My wife bought me the 2017 iPad on sale for $250 at Target over the holidays. I briefly had a Lenovo Thinkpad and enjoyed it for a few months, but battery life seemed to really bother me. I’ve always loved the battery life on the iPad and I like the fact that it’s always ready when I open it. The new 2018 iPad has just recently been released and is a really good deal for $329 and supports the Apple Pencil which is $100 extra. I just received a Bamboo stylus for my birthday so I think that will tide me over until I decide whether I really want an iPad Pro or not. I think I will eventually move to the pro and pencil, but the price is holding me back for now. Yes, I do use the iPad as my main PC and that is why I’m considering the pro. It would really be nice if Apple puts their desktop OS on the iPad Pro, but we’ll see what happens.

I know humankind has many achievements in the last decade, but I can't help but feel we are a little stagnant.  Whether you agree or disagree, God is the source of spiritual and created both spiritual and physical, then man, who is spiritual and physical created digital. I wonder what is next for man? I suppose since God became flesh through the birth of His son, we will want to enter the digital world we have created. What will that look like? I have noticed the big push to VR today and it would seem that we want to use the digital environment we created to rule and reign. I do of course see a problem with us spending too much time in the digital world without taking care of our physical world and even then we must maintain the spiritual which is the source of everything.

I know it's been a while since I've blogged about anything, but I'm back. I have used a  number of computers in my life and have narrowed it down to what fits me best. I think that anyone looking to use tech should search for reliability and affordability. I have a 2013 11" MacBook Air and it works just as it did in 2013, but even though it is small and portable, I found myself wanting something less powerful and more portable. Like many people, I use my smartphone a majority of the time. I had an iPhone 3GS, then the iPhone 4 and decided to switch to Android because they had bigger screens. I now use an "old" Samsung Galaxy S5 and it is good enough for me but I do miss having the apps I paid for when I had an iPhone and an iPad 3 briefly before I sold it. I know the iPad sales are down and people aren't buying one every year, but I noticed my wife's iPad 2 is slow but still working. I also heard that the iPad 2 was still the most used iPad still goi...

Okay, I know I haven't blogged for a while, but I'm going to do better. I want to know just how often you upgrade your gadgets. Here's my stats: Laptop : 4 years Desktop : N/A Tablet : 2 years Phone : 2 years Game Console : 10 years TV : 10 years

I saw this on my friend Chad Smith's blog and had to repost it. I love free stuff. It is however Windows only software. Just wanted to let you all know about a free offer I have been told about, just in time for Mother's Day. Blaze Video Smart Show is a video editor that lets you mix still photos, video clips, music, and voice overs for a custom video of your very own. It is available for free at this address -  blazevideo.com/promotion  - but only until May 15.  (Normally it is $49.95.) They also have other software available for a discounted price.

I have been looking for a lightweight program to do my web coding. I tried Google Web Designer (Beta), but it is beta then began to like Sublime for Mac, but I didn't like the price tag. I then ran across another code editor called Brackets and I love it. I have found that I code best and faster if I use a program that is stable, fast, and has changeable themes. Brackets has all those things. I was surprised to find out this program is free and it is from Adobe. I had no idea Adobe had an open source community and open source programs. In this economy I recommend finding programs that help get work done and cost $0. I am a big fan of the open source community. I really hope Adobe and other companies do more open source projects. If you write or edit code, I strongly suggest you try Adobe Brackets and enjoy a quality program for free.

I have used FileZilla which is a great free FTP program and I have used Fetch which is a good paid FTP program, but recently I have been wanting an FTP program that offers me features I never knew I wanted. I scoured the web for an FTP program that claimed to be the best and I found Transmit . Transmit is just under $40, so it doesn't break the bank, and it works seamlessly with my Mac running Mavericks. I haven't used all the features yet and may never use them all, but I like having them available to me. So, what sold me on using Transmit FTP? First of all, I like the speed. It is very fast in opening connections to my many FTP links. Waiting for a connection? "Ain't nobody got time for dat!" The other feature that sold me on Transmit was the Amazon S3 integration. The company I work for is heavy into media storage and we have saved a lot of money by using Amazon for cloud storage, so I no longer have to login using a web browser, yay! I'll ...

I recently had an issue where iMovie 11 would disappear off screen and I could not get it back. Well, here's a simple fix: On the top menu, click Window > Zoom.

Yes, it's been awhile since I blogged last. I will try to update more often. Well, right now I'm blogging from my new iPad. Why did I get one? Well supposedly, tablets are the future of computing and I didn't want to be left behind. Also, this is much cheaper than a new MacBook Pro. I have the new iPad or what some will call the iPad 3 and my wife has the iPad 2. I cannot really see a difference between the two devices, but future apps will work on my iPad and may not on the iPad 2. So, what do I use it for? I use my iPad for blogging, simple photo editing, email, gaming, streaming videos, and sometimes controlling a PC. Instead of buying an Xbox or PS3, I'm happy to game on the iPad. No, I'm not a serious gamer. If I were, I would use a desktop PC. While my iPad has not replaced my MacBook, I am hoping it will in the future. I love the battery life and traveling light is excellent. I think we should become more mobile in the future and not tied down to our ho...

Today, I finally upgraded to the iPhone, no, not the 4, the 3GS. I was able to get the 3GS for half the price of the iPhone 4 from AT&T. I figured it was best to save money and not worry about any of the iPhone 4's issues. I'll "wait for the upgrade". I have found it best to go with stable technology and not the latest unstable technology. Companies rush their techs to put a product out with the "fix it later" attitude and they sell millions of product and make billions in revenue. It seems best to let the people who obviously have more money than I do buy all the newest technology. Being a smart consumer is knowing when to buy and when not to buy, "know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em" ideology. I must say that moving from a Blackberry Curve to an iPhone 3GS is a leap forward for me and a step in the right direction. Sorry Android people, I like my iPhone better.

So, I have an Air Hogs Sharpshooter and I enjoy flying it, but the battery takes 30 min. to charge and only last 4-5 min. for flying. I decided to open it up and see what battery I currently have, so I can get a better one. The battery that is in the Air Hogs Sharpshooter is a 3.7V 140mAh LiPo battery. Now, I have to decide what battery to buy. I have seen 400mAh to 700mAh batteries. Hopefully, I will get the right battery to extend my flight time.

Yes, it has been decided! When my contract runs out in August, I'm switching from Verizon to AT&T for whatever the newest iPhone is at that time. I showed my wife all the apps on my iPod Touch and she really likes it, so now I'm counting the days until we make the big switch.

The iPad is not a reasonable purchase for me, especially since there are many things it cannot do ( see Chad W. Smith's blog ), I have to decide on what my next cell phone will be. My contract ends in August and I will need a two cell phone deal. I currently have the Blackberry Curve and hardly ever use it except for texting and an occasional phone call. I think I want the Motorola Droid, but then there's the Nexus One. I may have more options still by August. We'll see what comes out.

Well, I just found out the tablet for Apple, the iPad is going to sell for around $499. I think I'll wait until it drops to $200 before I buy one. For now, I will stick with my iPod Touch. Hope everyone else buys like crazy because that will send the price down.

Here are my favorite iPod Touch/iPhone Games for 2009 1. N.O.V.A. (Like Halo) 2. Call of Duty: World at War: Zombies 3. Hero of Sparta (Like God of War) 4. Brothers In Arms: Hour of Heroes 5. Gangstar: West Coast Hustle (Like GTA) 6. Ravensword: The Fallen King 7. Resident Evil: Degeneration 8. Resident Evil 4 9. NFL 2010 10. Number Munchers Well, that's my top 10 so far. What's yours???

Yes, today Gameloft released a game for the iPod Touch/iPhone that is like Halo. This game rocks! I thought it would be $9.99 so I had my iTunes money ready, but it is $6.99 and worth every penny. The controls are easy and it has auto lock aiming so if you miss a shot, it's your fault. This game is also multi-player via wifi or bluetooth and has online game play. I have already defeated Rick DeYoung and will soon take on the great Chad W. Smith. Get N.O.V.A. from iTunes today!

SGN has released an aerial combat game Skies of Glory . It has a World War II theme. The game itself is free to download and play, but offers additional content through in-app purchases. Game features include: Multiple skirmish modes, campaigns and tons of training missions with more to come Engage with opponents from around the world in 8-player combat over the internet via 3G and WiFi Fly with friends over any local network for up to 8-player combat Buy more planes for your hanger to maintain a competitive edge over your opponents Get is for free today from the iTunes store!

Like to get stuff for free? I do! My friend Daron Moore aka the Tcha is giving away his music for free. It's great to listen to rap without any profanity, sexual innuendo, plus this album is edifying to the Body of Christ. Even if you're not a Christian, you will like this album and it will change the way you think about Hip Hop. Go to the Reformation Records website: www.r2music.net and download this hot, new album for 2009 totally free! Download his music, copy it to your mp3 player or burn a CD. (Oh yeah, this download is free and completely legal, no DRM.)